HDX 450 Build Videos will be here

[broke-again]

Does anybody have any experience regarding the crash-resistance of the hdx

Guess that would be me :oops:

I cant comment on the Trex as i dont own one, but the HDX frame is rock solid. I have had one major crash when a new servo failed. It hit the ground very hard and the frame was fully intact which impressed me. It is a very stable heli in flight, its only weakness IMHO is the tail unit design. However, for the money it is good value. The HDX parts list is compatible with most Trex450 parts, so getting parts has not proven difficult.

If you havent flown a r/c heli before, get a simulator before buying any heli, just so that you can get a feel for things & crashes on the sim wont cost you anything. Once you are comfortable on the sim, you can then make your buying decision and take to the air with some confidence.

Good luck.

[bouncerman]

get a simulator before buying any heli, just so that you can get a feel for things & crashes on the sim wont cost you anything. Once you are comfortable on the sim, you can then make your buying decision and take to the air with some confidence.

Thanks for your advice
Yepp, that's what I'm doing at the moment :lol: Btw. is there a reliable HDX450 Modell for the Realflight G3?

[mark3dx]

Hi just joined up and would like to say a brilliant site and very helpfull videos!!

Anyway after building mine im still haveing problems with the suppled Motor /Esc combo

Outrunner model no D2825B-32
Otter BS35A

The problem being even though its set to HARD timeing with BRAKE OFF {1 double beep folowed by 5 doubles},the motor still doesnt start smoothly it tends to make a horrible screeching noise the motor pinion tends to shudder then it may OR may not start the blades,if it does it starts all of a sudden ! kicking the tail round

Anybody any ideas or are they just C**p .What voltage lipo should i be useing ?will the lipo make a differnece?

Also noticed less than i minute run time on my Honeybee CP2 lipo 1300mah 11v,even though the pion main gear is nice and free .If u let it stand for a minute or so u tend to get another minutes worth of run time!!


Becomeing very frustrated :(

Many thanks for any help Mark

[dutch_anykey]

Hi, My 2 cents advice (i'm not a pro, but no one else is answering :D )

@bouncerman
Havent found the HDX model for G3, also not for Reflex, the sim that i'm using. Try a trex450 in your sim. Its more or less the same in a sim.

@Mark3dx
I heard about the screeching problem, but that was because of timing problems. havent had it myself. Is this the motor and esc combo that comes with the HDX kit these days?
Did you set soft start in the esc? tried medium timing?
Checked the soldering of the connectors? I had a problem with that once.
Also what lipo are you using? 11,1 volt is recommended. 1300 mah is a bit low...go for a 2000 mah with 18C discharge or more to be safe.
I can't imagine that u use the same lipo as for your cp2....most likely the discharge current is not enough of that lipo. Maybe that's the problem.
Also the gears should be smooth....if u turn the head by hand (with blades mounted) does it keep spinning for a short while, or does it stop allmost instantly...then u have to find out what is binding.

cheers,
Maurice

[backman8571]

For MARK3DX

You really need a good 2100MHa battery and 11.1V

Sounds like you got the old version of the outrounner the 3200Kv the new is 3550KV and super strong.

The biggest problem is still your cells i been using the new mega battery's from HD and they are asum.

I'm getting a good 12-15min hard running not a lot of 3d.

Cheers

Per

[mark3dx]

Ok thanks have got a 2200mah lipo on its way ,but been haveing a read and it seems like the thermal cutout is cutting in !,and yes its 3200KV {what pinion should i be useing}

The main gear is nice and smooth and keeps running .Incidently the kit is not the HDX,but the 3DX450 SE and yes its what was supplied with the kit and what is in the video

Is it possible just to buy a better motor or ESC didnt want to buy the pair if i can help it .What ESC works well with that motor and vice versa

Thanks for ur replys

Also with discharge rate is a higher number better or worse
And another thing theres nothing in the instructions or videos about soft start

[BarnOwl]

The first thing I did was ditching the Otter ESC.......
Ruined 2 main gears because of the unexpected behaviour of the Otter. Any other ESC than the Otter is better IMO. If you don't want to spent much get an ALign, or even better a Jazz, but that's really expensive.

[ps61785]

i get some head vibration on startup and shut down...but the heli flies fine other than that. Can someone please tell me if it the main shaft or the head hub that holds the blade grips. I had a blade strike not to far back and it seemed alright then but has gotten worse since. Please let me know of any places to look. Thanks in advance.

[ps61785]

i get some head vibration on startup and shut down...but the heli flies fine other than that. Can someone please tell me if it the main shaft or the head hub that holds the blade grips. I had a blade strike not to far back and it seemed alright then but has gotten worse since. Please let me know of any places to look. Thanks in advance.and will the align main shaft fRom a TRex fit?

[Russ]

Yes the main shaft from trex will fit. Blade strikes for me means bent main shaft or bent feathering shaft or both.

[Helibum]

:arggg: Ok here is my opinion of the HDX450SE I bought one on ebay from Heli Direct got it for a great price. But after looking at many posts and pictures it seems every kit seems to be different. One guy gets one kit with this motor then another guy gets his with a diff tail and so on. I still am not sure what motor I received with mine if you look at the pictures on the HD website it looks like I received the HDX300 3800kv motor if I did will it work for the HDX450SE I don't know. I just wish they would pick one version and stick with it. All the parts seem to be very good quality but again alot of my parts are diff from the video that I received with the kit its very frustrating. Anyways just had to vent a little I will let everyone how everything goes with assembly thanks for listening.


Jim :glasses2:

[ps61785]

I purchased mine directly from HeliDirect and have had no issues. I chose to go with the no motor option and purchased an Align 430L which seems to have plenty of power. All of my parts matched what was shown in the video and fit very well. So far I love this heli and havent had any real issues finding parts because alot of the Align Trex parts fit this heli which is great because my local Hobby Shop sells Align parts. All in all I am glad this is my first real heli as it saved me money and is incredibly stable making it wasy to learn on, even in windy conditions. I think my next heli will be a Trex 450SE as i hear they are really manueverable.

[Russ]

Mine was the same as Helibum, some different parts.

[Helibum]

Mine was the same as Helibum, some different parts.Hey Russ did you get yours with the motor if you did what color are the wires on it all black or diff colors.

[Helibum]

Also can anyone tell be what the diff is between a 3000KV motor and a 3800KV motor. I know 800KV lol but really not sure about all the technical stuff about these motors. How does KV relate to the power of the motor. Any techies out there that can explain. Thanks


Jim. :glasses2:

[Russ]

I got a JGF450th motor with red, yellow, black wires.

[Helibum]

I think maybe they sent me an HDX300 3800KV motor not sure how to tell though.


Jim. :glasses2:

[broke-again]

Helibum wrote:
think maybe they sent me an HDX300 3800KV motor not sure how to tell though


The motor shaft dia is different on the HDX300 (2.3mm) HDX450 (3.17). Measure with calipers to see what you have. As for Kv ratings, i understand that the KV rating is how many revolutions the motor will produce per volt applied. E.g a 3800kv motor - 11.1v battery = 3800x11.1=4,218 rpm (no load-zero pitch) Compared to the HDX450 3000kvX11.1=3,330 Rpm

These RPM figures are reduced under load, i.e when pitch is added to your blades.

What gear did you get with your motor Helibum? (how many teeth)

[Helibum]

13 teeth on the pinion and the shaft is 2.5mm from what I am getting. I am wondering if the HDX 300 motor might be better on this heli. I don't know aaaaahhhhhh I think I am going to order a Medusa 28x40x3400 and a castle creations Phoenix 35 and be done with it and save the motor and esc I have for a parkflyer. Sounds like a good idea to me lol!!!


Jim. :glasses2:

[Helibum]

One more thing someone in this post spoke of the Apex LiPos and said you could get a pair of them for $99 bucks I would like to know where. And can anyone recommend a good LiPo Balance charger that won't break the bank.
Thanks,


Jim. :glasses2:

[broke-again]

I personally swapped out my stock motor & esc for Align 3550kv motor & 35a esc..it really came to life then! The 13T & motor should do ok.

Just added the Microheli pro tail unit to my HDX450, havent been able to fly it though due to the crappy weather....if this rain keeps up, i think im gonna have to make myself an Ark and sail to Florida.

[Helibum]

lol :lol: I guess it could be worse it could be snow your getting. Thanks for the info I just ordered the Medusa and cc phoenix 35 I think this combo will be great for this bird. I don't think you can go wrong with the microheli tail from what I have read. I think I may do the same or if I can find the sonix V1 shaft for mine I may switch to that. I may even make my own titainium shaft who knows.


Jim. :glasses2:

[broke-again]

One more thing someone in this post spoke of the Apex LiPos and said you could get a pair of them for $99 bucks I would like to know where. And can anyone recommend a good LiPo Balance charger that won't break the bank.
Thanks,

The prefered choice seems to be the TP1010c at $199.00, but for me, i just use the align balance chargers, i have 3. The new align balance chargers work fine and cost about $50.00 ea. You just have to swap the charge harness polarity around on PQ, Apex etc. Easy to do.

The mega power lipo's from helidirect are actually very good and i know a good place on ebay for polyquest & enerland (really good) lipos. http://cgi.ebay.com/Enerland-Lipo-Lipoly-Li-Polymer-2100mAH-11-1V-20C-Deans_W0QQitemZ320042224062QQihZ011QQcategoryZ3405 6QQcmdZViewItem

On this web site, you will find batteries that have a buy it now price and also a submit best offer option. Dont use the buy it now. Select the submit best offer and whatever the buy it now price is-subtract 29% and make that offer. e.g buy it now = $59.90 for 2100mah 11.1v -29%= $42.53 offer. Shipping is about $5.00 in USA. So about $90.00 for 2 batteries inc shipping. I found this via trial & error and it seems to work. I have tried 31%-offer rejected! These batteries even come with deans attached - no soldering!

This 29% will only work on 20c lipo packs, for 12c packs you can deduct 14%. I have no complaints about this ebay store - they deliver fast and the batteries are well packaged. Again, this was discovered with trial and error.

If you have a multi-meter you can easily check the polarity on battery the charge harness and switch the wires around to suit the align chargers, which is what i do.

There are also some offers on dn DN chargers with 2 battery packs at ahttp://www.readyheli.com/category_s/29.htmt $140.00 + delivery

Personally, i think most lipos are like peas. A pea is a pea, but the name on the can & marketing dictates what people will pay. I suspect that polyquest, enerland, and a few other "brand names" all buy their batteries from the same manufacturers. I know this is true for printers as i am in the industry. e.g Canon use the same manufacturer as HP, Dell same as Lexmark etc.

Anyway i can personally say that the mega power, polyquest and enerland batteries work well as i use them.

[rdlohr]

Personally, i think most lipos are like peas

I was thinking that too, until I keep hearing about Apex's puffing.

The TP extreme seems to be a unique bat too, but in a good way.

[broke-again]

I was thinking that too, until I keep hearing about Apex's puffing

I bought one Apex after falling for the marketing hype, it dropped a cell on its first flight. I suspect now that they are made from the dust leftover from the Polyquest run. :D

Shame they dont print on the label who actually made them, but that would hurt their business. Back in Scotland i used to work in a senior role for a soft drink company. We bottled various drinks for various companies. Some where brand name - some no name - but it was the same product, just different labels on the bottles. To this day i still meet people who swear the brand name stuff is better - yet it is the same as the no-name :arggg: As the old addage goes "What's in a name"..in business it's everything..

Bit like Lexmark admiting their stuff is made in Taiwan by "crap"r"us inc"